Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 19, 2021

In fact, only 100 of the 10,000 multimillion-dollar consumer companies around the world can claim to be an “apostle brand” – one that inspires enduring trust, loyalty, and endorsement. I found some eye-opening insights in the classic book, “ Rocket: Eight Lessons to Secure Infinite Growth ,” by The Boston Consulting Group.

Company 152

Company Companies Startup Customer 152

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 13, 2020

Having the best solution is a good start these days, but a solution alone is no longer enough to keep customer attention and loyalty. I remember the classic book, “ Driven to Delight ,” by Joseph A. Michelli, with inspiring stories on how one well-known company, Mercedes-Benz, made the transition and is profiting as a result.

Customer 168

Customer Custom Services Startup 168

socalTECH

AUGUST 13, 2015

for an on-demand, massage service, the company said this week. The funding was led by The Riverside Company. Soothe currently lets customers in the Los Angeles and a few other areas book a massage from a network of independent massage therapists. Los Angeles-based Soothe has raised $10.6M

Demand 100

Demand Riverside Services Los Angeles 100

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 4, 2019

Is your marketing focus product-centric or customer-centric ? With a wealth of products now available, customers look for the most memorable experience , not just the best product. Amazon is very customer-centric, but it can make all the difference in retail as well as online. Status factors are more important than demographics.

Customer 85

Customer Custom Product Metrics 85

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2020

Every entrepreneur knows that good demand generation marketing is the key to growth these days, but very few have the discipline or know-how to measure return in a world of a thousand tools and techniques. Hidalgo recommends a focus on engagement stage indicators including customers by channel, conversion ratio, and cost per revenue.

Marketing 174

Marketing Invest Demand Metrics 174

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 15, 2017

Have you ever noticed that some of your business owner friends get all the bad customers, and yours all seem fairly reasonable? I’m always amazed that, in my role as a business advisor, bad customers somehow seem to gang up on certain businesses. Being unreasonably demanding of others. Or is it the other way around?

Customer 89

Customer Custom Demand Pricing 89

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 31, 2019

After working in business at all levels, and consulting to entrepreneurs for years, I’m still surprised to see so many situations where things that should be easy are painful to customers, and lead to customers hating your business. For example, I recently picked up my phone to call a well-advertised local company for a TV repair.

Customer 83

Customer Custom Demand Examples 83

socalTECH

JULY 22, 2010

San Diego-based Huntington Capital , a provider of mezzanine capital provider to lower middle market companies, is backing a Seattle manufacturer of custom photo books and other printed products. Tags: huntington capital venture automated photo books. Amount of the funding was not disclosed.

Capital 140

Capital Customer Custom Product 140

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2018

Every entrepreneur knows that good demand generation marketing is the key to growth these days, but very few have the discipline or know-how to measure return in a world of a thousand tools and techniques. Hidalgo recommends a focus on engagement stage indicators including customers by channel, conversion ratio, and cost per revenue.

Metrics 57

Metrics Demand Marketing Paramount 57

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 28, 2022

Employees and customers alike are looking for meaning, not simply employment and commodity prices. Every company needs this focus to attract the best minds and loyalty in both categories. Companies can use this strategy to improve their profitability and competitive advantage. Doing business is a human process.

Organization 143

Organization Startup Pricing Customer 143

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2023

Most leaders agree that poor customer service is a business killer today, in terms of lost customers, reduced profits, and low morale. Yet the average perception of customer experience has not improved. You have to start with hiring only people who are willing and able to make serious customer service happen.

Competition 99

Competition Services Startup Training 99

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

I believe this option will continue to spread to other companies, states and countries. Even without B-Corp status, entrepreneurs are speaking out more on the positives to support business models that benefit not just shareholders, but customers, workforce, the environment, and the greater community. Doing business is a human process.

Startup 149

Startup Organization Customer Custom 149

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 22, 2022

By default, innovation in every business decreases over time, and continuous innovation requires ongoing initiatives and measures of customer perceived value. The long-standing rule of thumb that companies have ten years between significant disruptions was reset a few years ago to five years, according to experts Larry Downes and Paul Nunes.

Metrics 102

Metrics Startup Organization Demand 102

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 17, 2022

I’m talking about the kind of change that moved Apple from personal computers to music distribution to consumer electronics, and Amazon from books to e-Commerce to cloud computing services. Power has been guiding growth companies for 25 years, and now teaches innovation at the Harvard Extension School. Prices begin to decline quickly.

Startup 106

Startup Pricing Cloud Computing Customer 106

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 2, 2012

According to a book a while back by Rick Mathieson, these have morphed into a digital universe of augmented reality, advergames, and virtual worlds – that are highly personalizable and uniquely shareable. Ask why it should be, and why customers should care. It’s good to play games with your customers. Remember Hollywood secrets.

Customer 100

Customer Custom Marketing Demand 100

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 31, 2022

Too many customers have long felt distanced from many successful brands, seeing them as closed and mysterious environments, focused only on profits and killing competitors. These are responding to the demands of this new world for collaboration, trust, and transparency. Shared leadership (member and customer led).

Organization 126

Organization Social Media Examples Customer 126

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 29, 2023

I recognized this as I was reading the classic book, ” The Only Sales Guide You’ll Ever Need ,” by Anthony Iannarino, who is an international sales leader and expert on optimizing results. Diagnosing and understanding the customer problem. Building a company and selling are all about gaining commitments. Marty Zwilling

Startup 154

Startup Sales Entrepreneur Customer 154

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 21, 2022

As an entrepreneur, it’s never too early to set the culture you need for a thriving business, as well as thriving employees, customers, partners, and vendors. He is the Founder of the very successful Container Store , while still making Fortune magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list for seventeen consecutive years.

Training 127

Training Customer Custom Social Media 127

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 18, 2022

Customers today extrapolate their relationships not only from personal contact, but from every aspect of their interface with your company, including web site and social media interactions, access to peer reviews, as well as the actual services experience. Relationships are a function of customer culture.

Social Media 98

Social Media Technical Review Media Services 98

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 8, 2021

Most leaders agree that poor customer service is a business killer today, in terms of lost customers, reduced profits, and low morale. Yet the average perception of customer experience has not improved. You have to start with hiring only people who are willing and able to make serious customer service happen.

Startup 154

Startup Training Customer Custom 154

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 25, 2020

By default, innovation in every business decreases over time, and continuous innovation requires ongoing initiatives and measures of customer perceived value. The long-standing rule of thumb that companies have ten years between significant disruptions was reset a few years ago to five years, according to experts Larry Downes and Paul Nunes.

Startup 138

Startup Organization Demand Customer 138

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2022

I see more and more entrepreneurs who seem to have everything going for them – vision, motivation, passion, even a good business plan, product, and money, and yet they can’t close customers. Great businesses begin with a customer problem that has a big and monetizable pain point. Nail the solution. Nail the go-to-market strategy.

Technical Review 143

Technical Review Customer Custom Entrepreneur 143

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 22, 2023

I found many non-disruption recommendations in the new book, “ Beyond Disruption ,” by W. Both authors are recipients of numerous academic and management awards for leadership thinking, and I will summarize here their key strategy insights, combined with my own experiences: Lead with a focus on finding customer value.

Capital 142

Capital Netflix Resource Customer 142

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 11, 2022

The canvas is a visual chart with elements describing your value proposition, structure, finances, and customers, to help companies identify and align business activities. I look for evidence of the nine major elements of the model canvas, as paraphrased here from the author’s key points and how they apply to teams: Customer segments.

Funding 133

Funding Activity Customer Custom 133

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 23, 2021

I found many of these in the classic book “ Great From The Start: How Conscious Corporations Attract Success ,” by John B. Relevancy for an early-stage company is the discovery and understanding of the real addressable market for a product or service. Selling too early triggers customer defenses and drives them away.

Education 151

Education Customer Custom Sales 151

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 5, 2014

There is more and more evidence that a more human-centered or heart-centered leadership yields the best results with your team and with customers in the long run. Demand for coaching, counseling, and discipline training is high. Top team members rarely quit the company. Customer relationships culture is slipping.

Demand 92

Demand Entrepreneur Startup Training 92

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

There is more and more evidence that a more human-centered or heart-centered leadership yields the best results with your team and with customers in the long run. Demand for coaching, counseling, and discipline training is high. Top team members rarely quit the company. Customer relationships culture is slipping.

Training 142

Training Coach Startup Entrepreneur 142

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 7, 2022

After many years in business, working in large companies as well as startups, I’m no longer surprised at why mature and successful companies struggle with introducing innovative new ventures as the market and environment changes. Make sure everyone comes with an entrepreneur mindset for real innovation.

Incubator 143

Incubator Seed Funding Metrics Customer 143

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

While these investors, and early customers, will always argue that they found you, I’m convinced that there is no substitute for aggressive networking on your part. Ability to relate aspirations to customer needs. You need to show insights to real customers and their needs, that get beyond your passions and projections.

Startup 113

Startup Customer Custom Technical Review 113

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 12, 2021

Sometimes entrepreneurs are so focused on making change happen for customers that they forget that continually changing themselves and their company is equally important. Everyone and every company needs to continually learn from their experience and adapt to a changing world to thrive. Move to a higher platform.

Entrepreneur 167

Entrepreneur Technical Review Mentor Customer 167

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 21, 2013

Most leaders agree that poor customer service is a business killer today, in terms of lost customers, reduced profits, and low morale. Yet the average perception of customer experience continues to decline. You have to start with hiring only people who are willing and able to make serious customer service happen.

Customer 92

Customer Custom Startup Services 92

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 25, 2021

Yet I suspect that few of you have seriously thought about the scope of problems that every CEO must face, and what capabilities are the key to success, whether your company is a small startup, or a multi-billion multi-national conglomerate. Walk the talk to create a winning company culture.

News 136

News Framework Demand Study 136

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 23, 2019

Employees and customers alike are looking for meaning, not simply employment and commodity prices. Every company needs this focus to attract the best minds and loyalty in both categories. Companies can use this strategy to improve their profitability and competitive advantage. Doing business is a human process.

Organization 128

Organization Startup Pricing Customer 128

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 17, 2020

Customers today extrapolate their relationships not only from personal contact, but from every aspect of their interface with your company, including web site and social media interactions, access to peer reviews, as well as the actual services experience. Relationships are a function of customer culture.

Services 128

Services Social Media Technical Review Media 128

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 12, 2016

Having the best solution is a good start these days, but a solution alone is no longer enough to keep customer attention and loyalty. I just finished a new book, “ Driven to Delight ,” by Joseph A. Michelli, with inspiring stories on how one well-known company, Mercedes-Benz, made the transition and is profiting as a result.

Customer 56

Customer Custom Startup Competition 56

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 21, 2022

I also recommend the app development strategies outlined in the classic book, “ Vaporized: Solid Strategies for Success in a Dematerialized World ,” by Robert Tercek, who has lived on the digital edge for many years. The ideal business model is to establish a direct-to-consumer service that enables you to bill the customer directly.

Develop 138

Develop Development Platform Mobile 138

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 20, 2020

I’m talking about the kind of change that moved Apple from personal computers to music distribution to consumer electronics, and Amazon from books to e-Commerce to cloud computing services. Power has been guiding growth companies for 25 years, and now teaches innovation at the Harvard Extension School. Prices begin to decline quickly.

Pricing 123

Pricing Cloud Computing Customer Custom 123